Community engagement

• Solstice operates with a large number of people; festival visitors, artists, employees as well as partners and organizations both inside and outside of the industry. We aim to engage our community and invite them to be part of our progress.

• Solstice Code of Conduct. Since the beginning, we’ve published our Community Guidelines, a written way of communicating expectations of behavior with our guests, employees and volunteers. It’s a way of sharing our values, but even more is a way of intentionally establishing a culture and a way of being at our festival or as a part of our organisation.

  In 2026 we establish a code of conduct also for our partners, a document that describes our values, commitments and expectations to our network of partners and suppliers. It’s our way of formally asking to contribute and share our efforts towards sustainability. Based on our values and ethics, they are permanent in nature, but updated as needed. 

• Solstice Impact Report. Every year, we need to know how we did and how we can improve. We commit to measure and collect data to help us to make informed decisions. Through data collection and analysis we track our emissions and waste management efforts, set targets and implement strategies to reduce our ecological footprint. Our first Impact Report in 2026 is not just a collection of data, but a way to share our best practices and insights in the areas that are more qualitative in nature.

• Using our channels for good. To encourage changes we want to see, we communicate our efforts in our channels to sensitize our community and offer learning opportunities for our employees and volunteers.

Managing resources

• We are aware of what we consume and we are respectful of what we use. With the guidance of experimental design studio Caracara collective over the past years, Solstice has established a circular economy model. The majority of the festival area structures are rented or built from recycled materials. All new purchases are made with longevity in mind, ensuring that items are reusable for many years.

• Circular Economy Model. A circular approach to waste management enables us to dig deep into how we can systematically reduce our environmental footprint. Waste separation is a top priority at our festival. By manually sorting waste into wood, plastics, PLA bioplastics, paper and cartons, metals, biowaste, hazardous waste, bagasse, and deposit cans, we significantly reduce the amount of mixed waste that cannot be recycled or recovered.

  Sorting takes place on-site with the support of our of volunteers. At our sorting station, every waste bag is opened, reviewed, and separated to ensure that materials leaving the site are properly categorized. This hands-on approach increases recycling rates, improves material recovery, and minimizes residual waste.

• Data collection. To optimize our efforts and to better understand where to close the gaps, we commit to map out all the incoming and outcoming material flows. with and from Bars/Production/Tech/Waste management: Early stages of planning, during the festival, after

• Energy & water consumption. Since 2008, Ruka Resort has operated exclusively on electricity generated from renewable resources. As a result, all energy used for Solstice Festival – from stage audios and lighting to staff and guest services – is spruced from clean energy. 

• Due to our remote setting on top of the fell, Solstice operates without running water and all the water is transported. To meet our attendees needs, we provide three dedicated water stations across the area. For drinking water, we encourage our guests to bring an empty water bottle with them.

• Review.

Mobility matters

• Flights. Air travel accounts for the largest share of our event-related emissions. At the same time, we recognize the importance of maintaining an international community. To help balance these priorities, we prioritize shared transport options whenever possible. Our shuttle buses from Helsinki and Oulu reduce the need for individual vehicles, serving nearly 400 attendees and staff. We also encourage our partners, visitors, and employees to choose greener alternatives whenever feasible, with the goal of lowering the overall number of flights.

• Keeping up with the changes. As electric vehicles become more widely available, we continuously review and update our transportation strategy. This includes evaluating which solutions deliver the greatest emissions reductions and adapting our communication about travel options.

  We are actively seeking new partnerships that help us develop smarter, more sustainable transport solutions.

• Communication for our visitors, artists and employees

Respect the land

The land we occupy only for a brief moment is a home for a various of species: animals, insects and plant.

• More bins and more communication 

• Co-creation with universities. 

• Luontovelan lyhennys? https://luonnonperintosaatio.fi/saatio/

Equality, diversity, inclusion & safety

• We aim to create a diverse and inclusive community within our festival. We commit to ensure equality and foster spaces that allow everybody to feel safe, welcome, and free to be themselves. 

• Programming

• Volunteers; Care Team

• Solstice employees

• High safety score

• Adapting to change: how to work sustainable e.g. towards artists, architects and graphic designer in constantly more AI-driven world?

Financial stability

• Solstice is an independent boutique festival. As a small operator, we are concerned about the concentration of power for big corporations in the Finnish music and event industry. Our mission is not to grow Solstice bigger, just to eventually sell it for profit. For every edition to come, we work passionately to maintain Solstice as a fresh and intimate gathering, from friends to friends.

• Independency. We aim to keep full independency where Solstice works together with the partner network and not for them. We wish to thrive forward shaped by a long-term plan and intention, not trends and to create meaningful and long-term partnerships as well as ways of working to keep our business economically sustainable, enable fair wage conditions and create new jobs for the creative industry.